Tennessee basketball: Vols most likely to leave early in 2021

Size: 6’4″ 204 pounds; Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.

We go to the other five-star prospect. While Jaden Springer comes from North Carolina, he came out of a Florida school the Tennessee football program is very familiar with thanks to Chris Weinke being on staff. Yes, Springer came out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and the Vols’ connections to that school may have helped out.

Anyway, Springer is slightly more highly rated than Keon Johnson despite being an inch smaller. Listed as another five-star combo guard, Springer could play the one or the two for Tennessee basketball, and Rick Barnes is superb at coaching such players. Springer is super-athletic and may be the best shooter in the entire 2020 recruiting class.

Taking that into account, there’s a very good chance Springer goes to the pros. Athleticism and an elite shot are valued in freshmen already by NBA scouts, and Springer does have both of them. However, there are a couple of drawbacks that could require development.

The first drawback is, again, how loaded the Vols are at guard. We just don’t know how many minutes Springer will get. However, on top of that, Springer’s ball-handling and passing need to improve. Given his size, he can’t go to the NBA as a pure scorer. A need to develop in those key areas are why he is surprisingly No. 3 on this list, but he could still leave early.